Adriana’s Commitment to Caring
Adriana Sallustio is one of our 2019 Commitment to Caring Award winners! A young woman served by our Therapeutic Mentoring Program in Taunton, she has experienced significant changes in her life. Two years ago, her mother passed away after a battle with cancer. Since then, Adriana has been living with her aunt and cousins. Through all of the challenging times, Adriana’s positive attitude and her desire to spread joy to those around her has been truly inspiring.
Adriana constantly shows that her experiences have given her a remarkable strength and generosity of spirit. Last year, Adriana found a flyer advertising a charity called Dignity Matters, a non-profit that collects funds and donations of basic health necessities for women and girls who are homeless or otherwise in need.
It is not always easy for Adriana to discuss her past and the challenges she faces, but this charity resonated with her. She reflected on her own experience with homelessness, and how when she was young she saw her mother struggle to find basic necessities like feminine health products. She understood that prices of these necessities can be prohibitive for mothers and daughters who have lost their homes.
Now that she was in a position to give back, Adriana wanted to help people who were experiencing the deprivation she and her mother had gone through. But she didn’t just make her own donation to the charity. She set about creating flyers and informing friends, family and others. She started a campaign to collect donations that she would deliver to Dignity Matters and educated her community about the unseen needs that exist right under our noses.
Ultimately, Adriana was able to collect a sizable donation of products and funds, donated by a wide array of people and local businesses in her community. Adriana and a MENTOR staff member personally delivered the donations and Adriana was able to grow from the difficult experiences of her past to create a positive outcome for others.
Adriana’s empathy and kindness illustrate that no matter where we’ve been in life, we can heal and grow if given the chance.